Zugdidi trip planner

Zugdidi is a city in the Western Georgian historical province of Samegrelo (Mingrelia). It is situated in the north-west of that province. The city is located 318 kilometres west of Tbilisi, 30 km from the Black Sea coast and 30 km from the Egrisi Range, at an elevation of 100–110 metres above sea level. Zugdidi is the capital of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, which combines Samegrelo (Mingrelia) and upper part of Svaneti, and the center of the Zugdidi Municipality within.The city serves as a residence of Metropolitan of Zugdidi and Tsaishi Eparchy of the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church.EtymologyThe name "Zugdidi" first appears in the 17th century. Literally it means "big hill" in Mingrelian language . An alternative version of the name recorded in old sources is "Zubdidi" with same meaning from Megrelian. Local Georgian residents of historical provinces of Megrelia and Abkhazia also uses "Zugidi", which is a shortened form. The name was given to the town because of a hill situated in the eastern part of the city, where the some small remains of an ancient fortress are still visible.